title: Mycobacterium lentiflavum in drinking water supplies, Australia.
abstract: Mycobacterium lentiflavum, a slow-growing nontuberculous mycobacterium, is a rare cause of human disease. It has been isolated from environmental samples worldwide. To assess the clinical significance of M. lentiflavum isolates reported to the Queensland Tuberculosis Control Centre, Australia, during 2001-2008, we explored the genotypic similarity and geographic relationship between isolates from humans and potable water in the Brisbane metropolitan area. A total of 47 isolates from 36 patients were reported; 4 patients had clinically significant disease. M. lentiflavum was cultured from 13 of 206 drinking water sites. These sites overlapped geographically with home addresses of the patients who had clinically significant disease. Automated repetitive sequence-based PCR genotyping showed a dominant environmental clone closely related to clinical strains. This finding suggests potable water as a possible source of M. lentiflavum infection in humans.
authors.affiliation: The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. henry_marshall@health.qld.gov.au
authors.forename: Henry M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Torbey
authors.forename: Sharri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minion
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tolson
authors.forename: Hanna E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Sidjabat
authors.forename: Flavia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Huygens
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
authors.forename: Rachel M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Thomson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004326:Drinking; D005260:Female; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014881:Water Supply